


Iridescent Eyes

by TwoozyZinc



Category: Tales From The SMP - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Connor is a supportive friend, Karl is taking this much better than he really should, Kidnapping, M/M, Mason and Jack are in denial, Multi, Other, Soul Mates AU, Time Travel, Web Series: Tales from the SMP, fluff?, tftsmp, yeah fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 02:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoozyZinc/pseuds/TwoozyZinc
Summary: “That son of a bitch is gonna PAY. I’m gonna watch the life fade outta his dumb lookin… soft beautiful iridescent eyes.”“Yeah! What makes him think he’s so tough? Those colors ain’t natural. (But god are they gorgeous on him) Bet that stupid outfit’s hiding some weak scrawny… warm… tender arms I’d love to be held in…”"Do you guys wanna talk about something or-"---Alternatively: Mason, Jack, and Connor have taken Karl hostage but Jack and Mason have suddenly become very bad at their jobs.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Jack Kanoff/Mason/Karl Jacobs, Karlnapity - Relationship, Mason/Jack Kanoff
Comments: 22
Kudos: 284





	Iridescent Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to cope with a really bad day. Enjoy!

The Democrat Haters all stood around a table, whisky swirling in their glasses and plots forming in their eyes. They sat quietly but thunder could be heard inside their heads. That newcomer, Karl, he’d come barging into _their_ town, interrupting their collections with some black magic fuckery and, worse, promises about taking them out. Promises he’d clearly indented to keep what with his fiery words to the townsfolk. He was stirring up trouble, the wrong kind of trouble, the kind of trouble that was trouble for _them._

What’s more, there was something strange about this fella. He was certainly a newcomer… perhaps in more ways than any of them expected. They couldn’t just kill him, not right away, they wanted answers. They wanted answers and they took what they wanted, no matter what it was. If this jackass thought he could saunter on into their carefully cowardly cultivated town with his fancy colors, rilling up the citizens with his passionate words and inspiring drive, he was wrong. Dead wrong.

So, they did something about it.

“You fellers ready?” Jack asked, picking at something in his teeth with his tongue. “Cause I sure am.”

The other two bandits glanced at each other, trying to gauge the other’s opinion. Neither spoke a word yet.

“Well?”

“He might not be awake yet.” Connor shrugged, lazily pulling his hat down over his eyes.

It was more of a hood than a hat, honestly. Made of some kind of blue fur or quills. He swore the thing was blue when it was alive, too. He’d made it himself out of a critter that had been a pest in his hometown. Some strange breed of what was supposedly a hedgehog, except they were a meter tall and could outrun you on horseback. Conner had caught and killed the fastest one when he was a boy. “Sonic” the town had named it. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done and his proudest accomplishment, hence why he wore the thing everywhere (even in lieu of a hat that’d actually keep the sun off).

“Well, TOO BAD,” Jack slammed his glass on the table, making everyone jump. “I’m tired of waiting. Sleepy beauty don’t need no more beauty rest.”

“Yeah, he’s gorgeous already,” Mason sneered.

“Yea- what?”

“Exactly!” Jack pointed at Mason. “I’ll tell ya what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna ask some questions. We’re gonna get some answers, even if it takes a lil’ persuading. Then we’re gonna march the bastard back into town and make an _example._ He thinks he can inspire some sort of revolution with his beautiful and entrancin voice- I mean words? Maybe he can! He’s clearly a very talented individual!”

“Where is this go-“

“BUT, you know what he’s gonna inspire instead? Fear. Fear in us. That there town’s gonna relearn why it cowers to the Democrat Haters!”

“Yeah!” The other two shouted.

“So then, boys. Lemme ask you again, you fellers ready?”

“Yes sir,” Connor jumped up from his seat.

Mason didn’t say a word. He only stood up, grinning, and cracked his knuckles.

The trio made their way through their hideout, an abandoned mine. They were pretty proud of it. Their drinking area was in part of what used to be a small bar. A place on the surface for minors to come up and have a few drops after a hard day’s work. To anyone else, it just looked like an old shack in the middle of nowhere. The main entrance had been completely blocked off a while ago, all it took was a few boulders and it blended in seamlessly.

You’d never know there was a mine there unless one of them showed you the hole behind a bush. All it took was a hop down and you were off Scott free. Climbing up was a tad tricky but they’d mastered it (they had a secret ladder). Inside the mine was surprisingly comfy. It wasn’t like a mine at all, more like a bunch of really big cellars. The tracks had all been torn up to make easy walking paths. They each had their own room as well as plenty of spaces for whatever they’d like. (Rum, money, prisoners…)

Karl was waiting right where they’d left him, tied to a chair in the middle of what used to be a dead-end rail (and what now was just an empty room). They took a moment to light a few lanterns so they could see more than just shadowy figures. Connor was right, he wasn’t awake yet. Mason motion Jack over with him. The two walked up to the supposed sheriff.

“Wake up,” Mason ordered, poking his head.

“Mmmmmm… gimme a minute…”

“GET UP!” He began to shake him.

“I said in… a minu… Sapna….” Karl mumbled something inaudible, shaking off Mason’s hands.

Mason shook his head and turned to Jack, nodding solemnly. Jack nodded in return, quietly exiting the room. He returned after only a few moments walking up slowly and snarling at Karl. He then dumped an entire bucket of water over his head.

“…oh ….FUCK!” Karl jolted upright with a start, spluttering. His eyes shot open but quickly fell back into being cloudy. He looked around, curiously blinking.

“Aw, there we go,” Jack grinned, roughly grabbing the man’s face to force eye contact. (A common beginning to an interrogation.) “Mornin, _Sugar.”_

Karl, clearly not quite awake just yet, broke out into a pleasant smile. “Good morning, Lovey Ducky,” he sleepily chirped.

Everyone in the room froze. No one… no one really knew how quite to respond to that. They were all used to having everyone be terrified of them. Even if someone didn’t understand what was going on, no one had ever responded so casually to hearing a stranger mock them right as they woke up. Certainly no one had ever (even mistakenly) called any of them _pet names._

Connor reached up to rub his neck, feeling awkward. He glanced to see how the other two were reacting. Mason looked like a dear in headlights, eyes hopping across every person in the room. Jack was shaking a little, he- was he blushing? Connor blinked a few times. The lighting in this place was weird, it was playing tricks on him.

Karl frowned at the silence, head still swiveling around. He tried to pull an arm up to rub his eyes and became very confused when he found he could not. “Uh…” his brow furrowed as he recognized there were three figures in the room. He squinted at them, struggling to move his arms or legs. “UM…” He squished his eyes closed real tight a few times, finally blinking himself into full consciousness. “UHHHHH? This isn’t the inbe- wh- wait, I’m still here?”

“Yea-” Jack’s voice squeaked. He cleared his throat, turning his tone gruff. “Yeah, you’re still here. Mind telling us what that means?”

“Oh, I- this is a little embarrassing. Um, I thought I died? You know, even though I hadn’t even done anything yet. All I did was meet you three and... no,” his brow furrowed. “No that’s wrong. I met the rest of the town, didn’t I? Yeah, we trained... we dueled... this is wrong. This is wrong, isn’t it? Huh, I could swear this never happened. What do you guys think?”

The three bandits stood silent for a moment. He was taking all this incredibly well. He didn’t even sound relieved that he hadn’t died just… okay? He was just okay with it and he was talking to them so casually. It was as if he was shooting the breeze with a bartender and not at the mercy of violent dangerous captors.

“You… know you’ve been kidnaped, right?”

“Yeah,” he kicked against his restraints. “I’d assumed.”

“You know _we_ kidnaped you, right?”

“Yeah?”

“You know we’re gonna interrogate ya, yeah?”

“...Uh, okay?” He nodded. “You going to ask any questions?”

“WE-“ Mason sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Here’s one, why aren’t ya scared?”

Karl shrugged (as best he could while tied up). “Sorry, man. I thought I died, I thought I was done with this place, all this is extra for me.”

“Wow,” Connor laughed. _“That_ was a depressing answer.”

“Shut up, _Flint.”_

“Flint? I thought your name was Connor?”

Mason pointed to Jack, “Jack Kanoff.” At himself, “Mason.” And finally at Connor, “Flint Connor Michigan.”

“DUDE,” Connor frowned.

“What? It’s not like we’re hiding our identities.”

“Yeah, but-“

“Y’know, I always found that funny. How you’ve got three names but Mason only has one.”

“Maybe you should give him one of your names if you don’t like them,” Karl quipped.

Jack laughed. Mason rolled his eyes and scoffed but you could see him smiling just a bit. The three of them continued with the gag, making pleasant small talk. At first, Connor couldn’t tell why. It wasn’t a good joke. It was the kind you laughed at because you wanted the person who told it to feel nice. Oh. _Oh,_ Connor got it. This was a mind game. Make the guy feel comfy before suddenly taking it all away. Build him up so he falls twice as far.

He stood there for a moment, waiting for them to drop the act. They... uh... they didn’t. Um? He coughed. The others shut up, snapping to attention. They cleared their throats, awkwardly, before quickly darkening their faces back into their proper threatening selves.

“Alrighty now, mister.” Mason snarled, grabbing the collar of Karl’s weird shirt-coat-thing. “Don’t get smart with us. We ain’t pals.”

“Ah! N-no. No, of course not!” Karl squeaked.

Good. There was some nice old-fashioned fear. The strange stranger appeared human once more.

“So, _sheriff,”_ Jack hissed, mockingly. “Where’d you come from? I ain’t seen nothing like you before.”

“That’s… eh… complicated,” he murmured, almost sheepishly.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Think we can’t handle it? What do ya take us fer, idiots?”

“In general, or…”

Jack snapped, scowling. Mason gave him a swift punch across the face. Connor grinned, _there_ were the ruthless bandits he knew. It was comforting to see them acting like themselves again. 

“Okay, okay, ow. Fair enough, I deserved that, but still, _ow._ It’s not that big of an insult… idiots can be very cute.”

“ YOU- I… uh, hah, think I’m cute or somethin?” Jack’s sharp and hazardous tongue melted into embarrassed mumblings.

“I mean,” Karl eyed him up and down. “Yeah? You’re kinda in that uncanny valley between cute and hot. 10/10 in both categories but split directly down the middle. I guess it depends on what you’re wearing. You though,” he turned his sights to Mason.

Mason shifted under his gaze, glancing uncertainly to the side as if to question how he was supposed to react.

“You’re 100% hot. Just… blazing like an arsonist’s fire.”

Instantly Mason’s tough and ruff exterior cracked and crumbled. He grinned childishly, biting his tongue and glancing over their prisoner.

“Well, not so bad yourself. I can’t put it in as fancy a science as you did but you’re certainly worth a whistle.”

Karl beamed, face glowing a little red.

“Aww, look at that. You’re plumb pretty as plum pie when you’s blushin,” Jack laughed.

The three of them fell into casual conversation once again, this time consisting mostly of sincere compliments instead of weak jokes. Connor wasn’t quite sure what to do here. He’d never been the voice of violence in the group, Jack and Mason always took care of the nasty plannings. Sure, he was there to carry them out but, honestly, his mind wasn’t nearly vicious enough to take charge in situations like this. Should he even do anything? Chances were Mason and Jack knew what they were doing (and he definitely didn’t) so maybe he should just go along with it?

“What-” Everyone else in the room stopped and turned. Connor sunk into his hood as six eyes blankly locked onto him. He cleared his throat. “What about me?”

The silence was deafening. Connor cringed so hard he was certain he saw Karl, the man they currently had _tied to a chair,_ gaze at him in pity. This was clearly not part of the plan.

“I-“

“You-“

“Eh- I- You’re a very nice-looking man, Connor.” Karl was the only one of them who managed to get out a full sentence, though his voice was oozing with condolence and mercy. “Not really my type- oh, but you shouldn’t feel bad or anything! I’ve got specific tastes.”

“Pfft, ya don’t gotta spare his feelings, sweetheart. Conor, if a rattlesnake was told it hadda pick ‘tween kissing you and its sister it’d _kill_ her just to spare the doll from having ta lookin at yer ugly mug.”

Mason laughed cruelly. Connor was going to snort but was cut off by Karl tisking them.

“Come on guys, don’t be mean!”

 _That_ was something Connor could snort at. They were bandits. Criminals. The Democrat Haters. Karl’d had the same audacity when he’d interrupted their collection from John John and look where it had ended him. _Mean, mean, mean,_ he sounded like a scolding Sunday school teacher. Did this pretentious sheriff-wannabe really think he was gonna turn them around? Hah! This whole thing was pretentious. It was ridiculou-

“Sorry.”

“Yeah, sorry”

_**What.** _

What? Connor shook his head but the scene stayed the same. Jack and Mason had just apologized for Karl. It was mumbled and insincere but _Jack Kanoff and Mason had apologized._ Okay, code red. This wasn’t a plan. He didn’t know _what_ this was, all he knew was they weren’t acting. He needed to do something. He needed to help them, they were drowning out here. 

“Uh, fellas? May I speak to you?”

“What is it, Connor?”

“Alone?”

They just stared at him.

“NOW?”

Finally, something in their brains seemed to snap back in place. They all shuffled out behind Connor, following in silence as he lead them up further and further to the other side of the mine. He probably didn’t need to go this far but these mines could echo and he didn’t want to risk Karl hearing them. He was tempted to take them all the way back up to the surface but he could tell they were getting antsy behind him so decided against it. When he was satisfied with the little room they’d ended up in, he turned on his heels. They seemed taken aback by this confrontation, Mason confused and Jack suspicious.

“Gentlemen, let me first say I have the utmost faith in our team here. I’ve seen firsthand who you two are and what you’re capable of. Honestly, y’all’ve always been the real drive. The mind, the soul, the viciousness-”

“Cut to it, _Flint.”_

“I just want you to know I aint trying to be insubordinate or call you weak or nothing when I ask: WHAT in the devil’s name is _WRONG_ with you?”

Their faces grew dark and warned. “Wha-“

“Are ya haunted? Are y’all damn _possessed?_ Bewitched? What is going on with that newcomer? You guys need to talk about anything?”

“Nothing! We were interrogating him just fine.”

“It sounded like you were flirting.”

“I- pft- ugh- excuse me?” Jack spluttered. “Excuse me? FLIRTING? You think I’m some- some kinda- you think-“

“What the hell, Connor?”

“I don’t know, weren’t you? You two’ve been acting real strange!”

“NO!” Jack hissed. “That was... tactics.”

“Yeah!”

 _“Worth a whistle,_ Mason _?“_

“HE IS FAIRLY HANDSOME! No shame in me being able to say so!”

“Look, can we just do our job now?”

“I don’t know!” Connor was becoming increasingly exasperated. “Can we? Can you two pull it together? More importantly, do you even _want_ to?”

Mason grabbed Connor by the collar, snarling. “What’s that supposed to mean? You calling us soft?” He pulled out his pistol. “I’ll put one ‘tween his gorgeous, hypnotic, iridescent eyes in a heartbeat. I. Don’t. Hesitate.”

“There! You just complimented him again! You can’t even properly threaten him when he’s not here!”

“LIKE I SAID,” Mason’s voice raised to something halfway between a shriek and a squeak “HE IS AN OBJECTIVELY ATTRACTIVE MAN! IM ALLOWED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT!”

“Okay, okay, break it up you two.” Jack pulled Mason (who was starting to shake) off Connor, giving him some pats on the back. “Just breathe, man. Breathe it all out. There ya go.”

“I just-“

“Connor, listen. Me, Mason, and you, have been working together a long time. We’re ruthless. We’re tough. I’ve _taken a bite_ straight outta men who’ve dared to cross us before. We can handle this wimp. I bet I could count the number of proper fights he’s been in (and you know I ain’t no good with numbers or letters). He looks like a drunk rainbow done threw up on him. His arms are probably nothing but noodles beneath those pretty colors. Soft... warm... loving noodles that I’m certain anybody would love to be held in. Or to hold. It’s not weird. It doesn’t mean anything. I’m not- I don’t- I ain’t wanna be held or... or nothing... yeah, I do.... but that’s normal! Don’t mean noth-“

“JACK!” Connor smacked him. _“Listen to yourself!”_

Jack looked like he ought to have smoke pouring out of his ears he was thinking so hard, clearly running his mind in circles. He seemed about ready to cry. Mason looked stone-cold and dark-minded as ever. He had his nose turned up as if to dismiss this whole conversation but if you looked closely you could see his brow furrow and his eye twitch, just a little. He was just _barely_ holding a lot in.

Connor took a deep breath and changed his tone. He was sending the wrong message. He wasn’t trying to accuse them, just he wanted them to face themselves. “It’s okay guys, it’s only me. You can be honest. We can work through whatev-“

“I DON’T KNOW!” Mason broke, grabbing his hat to tug it over his face. “I just talk to him and it’s all so familiar and nice. He’s just making me notice things I never thought of before and it’s wonderful. I- I can’t tell you what’s been going on cause I ain’t gotta clue either, all I know is I’ve never been happier than when that stranger complimented me like he’d meant it. Like he’d done it a million times before and would do it a billion times later and still mean every word. He don’t _feel_ like a stranger. I... I know I’m better than this but I can’t stop thinking about what he’s been making me realize. Realize ‘bout me, ‘bout him...” he looked over at Jack, wincing. “About you.”

Jack stood there for a moment, eyes wide, before slowly placing his hat against his chest. “Partner...”

As the two men stood gazing into each other’s eyes on the verge of tears, Connor once again had no idea what was going on or what he was supposed to do. He thought he was confused and awkward before but hot damn that was nothing. This was a million times worse. Although, at the same time, this was... almost better. In some way, he didn’t quite know how, this was right. Maybe because his friends were finally speaking their minds? Honestly, he’d always thought something might be going on between them but he’d minded his business. They were just too damn stubborn to ever let themselves notice. Maybe if it took some random weirdo trying to take them out that wasn’t so bad? Yeah... maybe this was okay.

“Alright boys, I have an idea. Why don’t we go set him free and you three can just talk for a while?”

“We can just... talk?” Jack hiccuped.

Connor nodded, “No schemes, no plots, no pressure to be cruel or tough. We don’t gotta think about anything else except working out your feelings, alright?”

“Nothing?” Mason sheepishly peeked from under his hat.

Connor shook his head. “Absolutely nothing.”

They all stood there for a moment, going over the offer in their heads. Finally, Jack stood up tall, like the fearless (slightly unhinged) leader Connor knew.

“Yeah. Yeah, we ain’t afraid of no words! I wanna know if this sucker really is worth shedding tears over. Boys, let’s go have a _conversation!”_

“Yeah!”

The three of them made their way back through the mines. Mason was very clearly holding himself back from breaking into a full sprint, speeding up and skipping every now and then. Jack was the opposite, slowing down, pretending to get a rock out of his boot, he was nervous. Still, there was an air of hope surrounding them, maybe even change. They’d never felt this flexible before, this free. Connor wondered if he should wait outside and just let the three of them talk. He wondered what they would talk about. Even if they were all... in love... what would they do next? Would Karl join them? Would they have to forfeit the town? It wasn’t the worst thing, he supposed. They’d moved on from sweeter deals before and if it made them happy-

“THE FUCK?” Mason screamed from up ahead of them.

Connor and Jack took a moment to lock eyes before both sprinting into the room. At first, they were only concerned with Mason, who was just standing in the doorway. When it was apparent he was fine they followed his line of sight to find a dark and empty room. There were no lanterns, no chair, no rope, and no Karl. Nothing. Connor fumbled with some matches trying to get better lighting. Even in the dim light and suffocating silence he could _feel_ the breathlessness of his two friends, the desolation on their faces, the sinking of their hearts. 

This didn’t make any sense.

“What... happened?”

“He left, idiots,” Mason hissed, fist clenching so ard Connor was worried he’d draw blood with his nails. “He escaped. Of course, he did! He was a _hostage._ We fucking _kidnapped_ him. We were gonna _kill him_ publicly just to make a point. What- what the hell is wrong with us?” He covered his head in his hands.

“I don’t know... if he did escape, how? And why take the chair? How for that matter? We were standing near the only exit.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jack kicked the ground. He sounded so drained, so defeated. It was such a strange tone for him to bear. It was wrong.

“Guys, I don’t- what in the devil’s name is that!” Connor shrieked, pointing to the end of the room, or rather, the lack thereof.

It was a spiral. It was so faint, so invisible, unnoticeable, but now that they saw it they didn’t know how they could ever not. It was impossible, like it went in and outward forever, spinning but perfectly still as it- as it _ate_ the room. There was no other way to describe the way it etched out, slowly, so slowly... but it took so much so fast.

The three bandits took a step back, then another, then another. They should be running. They knew they should be scrambling away as fast as they could but they couldn’t stop looking. It looked like everything. It looked like nothing. It looked like time. It looked like...

“I’m sorry,” Karl (Karl?) called.

Suddenly, Jack and Mason could see him. Was he inside the spiral? Was _he_ the spiral? He was there. He was wrong, vibrant colors replaced with solid sleek white. Even his eyes, the beautiful gradient of more colors than they’d ever seen was left a shimmering hollow blank. Still iridescent... still iridescent...

“This isn’t right. This isn’t what happens. The time must fix itself. Today and yesterday must happen… differently. _Have_ happened. _Will_ happenen. I- I’m glad I got to meet you, though. To _really_ meet you. Even if I had to get tied to a chair, haha. You... you’re important... I don’t know how. You reminded me of something I’m not supposed to forget. I’m sorry. I’m sorry this story ends differently than the path we made today. I’m sorry I can’t save everyone. I hope you two know I meant every word I- I- oh, I’m already forgetting. This was incorrect so- so- so I won’t remember it at all. Take care of each other for the little time you’ve got, please. Promise me you won’t wait until the other is gone to say something!”

The spiral caught up with them, swallowing the entire world whole. They fell into it. They couldn’t, there was nothing to fall into, there was no one there to fall. Everything was stuck a spinning light.

“Goodbye Sapnap. Goodbye Quackity. I love you!”

Then... then there was only white.

Then there were so many colors, filtering through the glow like a prism, twisting, turning, blending-

Then there was only darkness.

The lack of light slowly filtered itself into the proper shade of closed eyes. Mason rolled over, stretching his arms with a crack. He slowly forced awake. The sun was just barely rising over the horizon. He took a deep breath, a cruel grin spreading across his face. Another perfect morning to squeeze their own little town for all it was worth. He wondered what they would hit today? First of all the saloon, obviously. Their quivering little John had been given plenty of time to restock by now.

“Mason, you up?” Jack whispered from his own sleeping bag next to him. Mason stuck his thumb up. “I need to tell you something. I don’t know why I need to right now so badly but I- actually, I do know why. I uh… I had a weird dream... an angel made of swirls came and told me to- he made me promise I- uh, you know what? That sounds so dumb. Just… never mind. You wanna go get our fill from John John? When Connor wakes up, that is.”

“I- yeah, first of all. Secondly, I had a similar dream. I remember lots of swirls and colors and a lot of white. Don’t remember any of the details, just that it felt real good. Felt like...” he stopped, opting to chew on the inside of his mouth rather than finish the sentence.

The two sat there quietly for a moment, listening to Connor lightly snore.

Jack held out his hand. He didn’t look over, didn’t look anywhere but the sky, his expression calculated like he was playing poker. Mason silently reached over and took it. The two could feel each other become giddy and mellow, euphoric and soft. They laid there together, wordlessly holding hands, thinking of their odd dreams. Of each other.

Of the iridescent eyes of a stranger. 

**Author's Note:**

> and then Jack was killed by Crops and Mason was killed by Karl... RIP boys.


End file.
